• Getting Even

  • By: Woody Allen
  • Narrated by: Woody Allen
  • Length: 2 hrs and 43 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (623 ratings)

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Getting Even  By  cover art

Getting Even

By: Woody Allen
Narrated by: Woody Allen
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Publisher's summary

Woody Allen's early comic fiction was heavily influenced by the zany, pun-ridden humor of S.J. Perelman. And now, for the first time, Woody Allen narrates one of his early collections of short stories, Getting Even. Listen to Woody Allen revenge himself on such significant subjects as death, obesity, organized crime, the invention of the sandwich, and much more.

Getting Even is a collection of seventeen of Allen's magazine pieces, discussing such eclectic topics as the invention of the sandwich, laundry lists, death, obesity, and, of course, rabbis. Here's Woody Allen as psychologist: "...death is an acquired trait."

Historian: "I did not know Hitler was a Nazi. The truth was, for years I thought he worked for the phone company."

Philosopher: "I do not believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear."

Woody Allen’s short-story collections Getting Even, Without Feathers, Side Effects, and Mere Anarchy are available separately or together as part of The Woody Allen Collection.

©1978 Woody Allen (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Throughout my life, literally thousands of people have made me feel inadequate, but none more so than Woody Allen." (Larry David, Producer, Writer, Actor)
"Woody Allen brought modern comedy to the cinema screen." (Ricky Gervais)

What listeners say about Getting Even

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful, Classic Woody Allen

What Monty Python has done for Christian lore, Woody Allen does for 20th century culture and Rabbinic Judaism. Delivered in Allen's classic droll deadpan style, these short essays are premised on subjects ranging from psychology, philosophy, 20th century literature and American history to Latin American revolutionaries, film noir and Rabbinic literature (midrash).

As in any type of humor, the more you know about the subject of the humor, the more you appreciate it--and Allen's adroit handling of his rather weighty subject matter is nothing short of brilliant.

While not absolutely essential, an at least cursory knowledge of the topics will add tremendously to the listener's enjoyment of Allen's remarkable talent in finding humor in what might otherwise seem rather humorless material.

This is one of the few books I can see myself returning to again and again whenever my spirits need a lift!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

This was ok, but I didn’t smile as much as I hoped

My mind wandered at times.

I like his quirky mind. Woody Allen was ok as narrator of the audiobook.

Genre: humorous thoughts

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Get read for awkward stares...

Get ready for awkward stares on the subway, on the street, at a restaurant or wherever you listen to any one of the brilliant stories in the book.

Written in Mr. Allen's prime, the 70's, these stories would be hilarious if read by your tax accountant, much less by the witty neurotic performer that is Woody Allen.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent

If you could sum up Getting Even in three words, what would they be?

Pretty Damn Funny

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mr. Schmeed

Have you listened to any of Woody Allen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any other audio books performed by Woody Allen before, but I would have to say that he does a cracking job in this one.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, I had an extreme reaction to this book: at one point I laughed so hard that I had tea spurting out of my nose and my monocle popped out. This was followed by a a brief exclamation of "damn" (as I had made a mess of my table cloth) and a rather violent throwing of a napkin to the floor. Fortunately I was able to regain my composure quickly and by the time my butler had arrived to investigate the commotion I was once again calm.

Any additional comments?

If you happen to have a time machine, please go back in time and convince Mr. Allen to produce more works of this kind.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Woody Allen's movies are (usually) better...

Even though there are excellent paragraphs, overall it was hard to follow and enjoy. Not my type of audiobooks, as it seems.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

What disappointed you about Getting Even?

Boring

Would you ever listen to anything by Woody Allen again?

NO, it is sooo boring

Would you be willing to try another one of Woody Allen’s performances?

NO, he is making me fall asleep

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

NO, It was not funny, or interesting or clever

Any additional comments?

NO

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

nuts

What did you love best about Getting Even?

woody is nuts. he uses words to make your mind swirl.Thats the fun.

Which character – as performed by Woody Allen – was your favorite?

all characters read by woody are funny.

Any additional comments?

great for a good laugh.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Witty Dialogue

Love Woody’s sense of humor. Cute and clever piece but not HILARIOUS. No worries — enjoyed it nevertheless.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

Excellent prose 1971 vintage Woody tickling your funny bone relentlessly, a pleasant vacation from NewYork’s finest, try some, buy some!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Nonsensical

I love Woody Allen”s movies, but his books, not so much. This book made me feel guilty about wasting the 15 minutes I spent listening to the beginning of this silly story where any intended humor was lost in its ridiculous complexity. If it would have gotten better had I persevered until the end, I hope so, but it was a disappointing start. The best part of this book was having Woody narrate it, but even that didn’t help.

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